Never Knew I Had A Secret
by embracing-shadows
Summary: Sara figures it out around the same time that she realizes that they haven't even figured it out for themselves.
1. Never Knew I Had A Secret

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!

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It had been a long day for the entire team. By the time shift was over, all of them were dragging their feet on the way out the door, glad to be able to finally leave. The triple homicide that came in that night had kept them all in the dark for more than eleven hours until Warrick found the missing clue that cracked the case. Greg was just slipping in to a pair of cotton pajama bottoms, fully prepared to fall asleep watching television, when he heard a knock on his door. He didn't even bother holding back the disappointed groan that bubbled up in his chest. With heavy feet, he dragged himself over to the front door and swung it open without checking to see who it was through the peephole.

"I hope you weren't asleep." Greg tilted his head at her, a little bit confused.

"Sara, what are you doing here?" he asked curiously. Sara gave him an apologetic smile, so he backed up to let her in to his home, shutting the door behind her. He took her jacket and hung it up, waving her in to the living room. He had time to be thankful that he had recently cleaned the house before his friend was throwing herself down on the couch and throwing her hands up in to the air.

"I'm sorry to intrude like his Greg, I hope you don't mind." Greg shook his head, but she continued before he could assure her with comforting words. "Ugh it's Grissom. I've been stressing all day and night about this case and we finally solve it so I ask Gil if he still wants to go on that date we had planned and you know what? He forgot all about it! I swear Greg, sometimes I wonder if we can even make this work." She dropped her hands in her lap and leaned her head against the back of the couch. Greg smiled gently and shook his head as he leaned against the backrest of his favorite suede armchair.

"So you wanted someone to vent to? Or a friend to hang out with?" He grinned when Sara raised her head to glare at him, raising his hands in a sign of surrender. "Well if I'm going to help I need to know how you want to be helped." She pondered this for a moment. While she was thinking Greg went in the kitchen to pour them both some coffee, glad that he had just finished brewing some right before she arrived. When he wandered back in to the living room, she had seemingly decided not to be annoyed at his cheeky comment. She just took the coffee cup gratefully and made a relieved face at the first sip.

"I don't know Greg, I was mad at Gil and I didn't want to go home. You were the first person I thought of. I didn't even think of the fact that you might be too tired to deal with me until I was staring you in the face. Forgive me?" She made as sweet a face as she could and Greg laughed out loud. He returned to leaning on the armchair where he had been before, casual and comfortable, and Sara wondered why he didn't just sit down. It was his house after all.

"Nothing to forgive Sara," Greg insisted. "That's what friends are for, aren't they?" She gave him a brilliant smile and they fell in to easy chatter. Sometime around her third refill Sara realized that she really needed to visit the ladies room. She excused herself and wandered down the hall, making a mental note along the way to ask Greg why he had no pictures hanging up in the hallway. It was bare, almost sterile. Maybe it was because he needed a woman's touch. Sara decided to offer her decorating assistance.

When her business was done Sara turned to the sink to wash her hands – only to stop and stare at the counter in incomprehension. There were two toothbrushes. A bright green one and a bright red one, both leaning on opposite sides of the same black holding cup. Why in the world did Greg need two? Frowning, Sara made to turn away, but something else caught her eye: two different brands of toothpaste sitting side by side behind the taps. This confused her even further, and the feeling only increased as she took a hard look around the bathroom. Two bath towels hung off the back of the door, a plain fluffy white one and a wacky orange and blue colored one. Everything in here appeared to be doubled, and she was beginning to have suspicions.

Sara made her way down the hall slowly to see that Greg had vacated the living room. Taking the opportunity, she looked around this room as well. His music and movies collection had doubled in size since the last time she had been here, although admittedly that was quite a while ago. Where Greg kept his spare blanket on the back of the couch, Sara could see a second blanket hiding underneath the usual one. Sara nodded, assuming that she knew what was going on but wanting to confirm, and followed Greg to where he had wandered in to the kitchen. For a moment she just stood in the doorway, holding the coffee cup she had retrieved from the living room, and watched Greg. He was fiddling with something inside the fridge, and with the door open Sara could see a tall jug of orange juice. Greg hated orange juice. She smiled as everything fell in to place with a note of finality.

"So who is she?" Sara asked quietly. Greg jumped in fright and turned around, placing a hand against his chest to try and slow his suddenly racing heart. He grinned in amusement, not at all embarrassed that she had scared him, and Sara grinned back a little smugly. Then when her words sunk in, Greg frowned in puzzlement.

"Who is who?" he asked, making her grin bigger.

"Whose toothbrush is that in the bathroom? The red one?" She watched as Greg's frown deepened and he gave her a look that clearly said he thought she might be going insane. He slowly stood up and closed the refrigerator door, revealing to her that he had a grocery list held on to the appliance with a magnet. As far as she knew, Greg had never written a grocery list in his life.

"Mine," he replied at last, drawing the word out slowly like he did when he was trying to figure out where a conversation was going. But she had figured it all out and she wasn't about to let him get away with this without giving her some juicy details.

"Ok, so whose is the green one?" she asked, feeling a little triumphant. But instead of flushing and stammering, Greg tossed his head back and chuckled deeply.

"Oh that? That's Nick's toothbrush." He grinned and shrugged carelessly as he stepped over to take the coffee cup out of her hand and returned to the sink. Just then she noticed that he had ran some hot soapy water to wash their cups in. As he was working, Greg checked over his shoulder to see if she was still standing there with that weird smirk on her face. He was relieved to see that it had dropped away, but confused when it was replaced with total and utter bewilderment.

"Greg…why would Nick have a toothbrush at your apartment?" her voice was dripping curiosity, but from the expression Greg's face he thought it should have been the most obvious this in the world. He turned back to what he was doing after a moment and frowned at the porcelain in his hands as he ran the cloth over it.

"We're friends? He stays here a lot." He shrugged again as if it were no big deal. But Sara had been over at Warrick's for a team gathering recently and despite the fact that Nick and Warrick were supposed to be _best_ friends, there was no second toothbrush. No second towel. No second blanket. Something about this was off, and she was going to figure it out if it was the last thing she ever did. One thing she loved was a good challenge that didn't have someone's hope riding on whether or not she figured it out.

Sara remained silent for a couple minutes as she thought about that green toothbrush and what it could mean. As she thought, she watched Greg. He finished washing the two cups and pulled the plug out of the sink, picking up a hand towel and drying the dripping dishes. Then, instead of putting them in the cupboard like anyone else would have done, he set them neatly side-by-side next to the coffee pot. Sara watched him put three spoons of sugar in to one cup and just one spoon of sugar in to the other cup. Then he just left them there and turned to wipe down the water he had splashed on the counter top.

"Aren't you going to put those away?" she couldn't help herself, she had to ask. It wasn't until Greg had stopped what he was doing to look over at the cups in contemplation of her question that she realized she already knew the answer.

"That's where they go," Greg murmured in an odd voice and Sara just smiled. Two coffee cups for two people, all ready to go whenever they were needed next. Just like everything else in the house now. Greg turned his head to look at Sara but neither of them said anything. They were in the middle of a small staring contest, neither one able to read the thoughts of the other, when they heard the front door opening. Sara knew that there had been no knocking and no one rang the doorbell. Someone had just unlocked the door and let themselves in. Before she could even open her mouth and ask, a familiar voice rang out through the home.

"Greg I hope you're not asleep because you won't be for long!" Nick's voice reverberated down the hall. "I brought pizza!" A chuckle was heard, and Sara didn't miss the way Greg's eyes were suddenly lit up and twinkling, a heck of a lot more awake than he had been mere seconds ago. He didn't reply to the call, but left the kitchen in what looked like quite a hurry. Following him, Sara was treated to the sight of Nick Stokes making him self right at home in Greg's house. The pizza had been dropped on to the coffee table and he was already sprawled out on the couch, one of the blankets from the back of the couch draped over his shoulders.

When Sara and Greg came in to the room he turned his head to grin at Greg. He noticed someone else and paused, piece of pizza stuffed halfway in his mouth, to check whom it was. Sara fought not to laugh at the startled expression on his face, but she did notice that he didn't look at all embarrassed. As if he belonged here, as if he had more right than her to be here, as if she were the intruder. At long last he smiled and removed the piece of pizza from his face, chewed, swallowed, and wiped a hand across his mouth.

"Oh…hey Sara." He muttered, then his eyes brightened and he became much more enthusiastic. "Hey Greg, I picked up that new game we were talking about, you want to play?" Greg's face broke out in a huge smile as he nodded and all but lunged across the room to pull out his gaming console. Sara watched the way they kept looking over at each other and grinning, and she knew that they had both almost forgotten she was even here in the excitement of each other. When they sat down on the couch, Greg pulled his own blanket around his shoulders, but she watched the way he and Nick sat much too close together.

That's when it all hit home, and she understood at last. She understood every look that had ever passed between the boys; every touch that they had shared that she had thought was unnecessary. She understood every innuendo, every hint, and every silent agreement. But when she looked back at the couch she saw the way they were both wearing their blankets, almost like protective shields to keep at least one barrier between them. They leaned in close to each other but they never touched. Sara smiled as she quietly walked down the hall and retrieved her coat. She understood now, even if they didn't. One day they would figure out it, or she would make them see. But for now she would let them go on with their lives, pretending that they weren't completely in love with each other. One day they would know.

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Sequel will appear one of these days! Cross your fingers and hope for soon!


	2. I Can Wait

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!

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It was just a toothbrush. A single innocent object needed to care for a person's hygiene because, really, people's breath would stink without one. It was _just_ a toothbrush! He'd been trying to tell himself that for days, weeks actually, and yet still he couldn't escape the sense that there was something more that he was missing. Could it be more than what it seemed? For some reason he felt as if it might have some sort of deeper meaning, sitting as it was in his bathroom, right next to his own, accompanied by its own special brand of toothpaste. But really, all it was, was a tool that you slather in minty gunk and mashed around the inside of your mouth. It was probably covered in a thousand germs, if you thought about it.

So why was he still thinking about it? Greg had no idea why he couldn't get it off his mind. He had taken to glaring at Sara every chance he got, never explaining himself, not even when rumors started that the two of them had finally hooked up and it had ended badly for him. Like that would ever happen. Greg had never really had an actual interest in her; that had all been in good fun. He'd really been too busy becoming fast best friends with Nick back then to ever seriously consider falling in love with Sara. Or anyone else for that matter, his subconscious felt the need to remind him. He wasn't sure why, but Greg felt that that was significant somehow. Somehow being the operative word.

Somehow, or for some reason, or some way, they all seemed to be the favored themes or the last few weeks. Greg was getting a little tired of the feeling that there was something he just wasn't getting. A really great joke that everyone else understood, and he had yet to translate the punch line. Nick didn't seem bothered at all. In fact, he seemed pretty happy with life at the moment. He'd spent almost a whole week in a row sleeping on Greg's pull out couch, not bothered in the least by Sara's odd questions the day she'd come over. To be fair though, he hadn't heard them. And Greg hadn't told him.

"You're supposed to put that in your mouth you know," a voice behind Greg made him jump and look up, meeting Nick's eyes in the mirror. He quickly came back to earth to realize he was standing in the bathroom. Then Nick looked down and made a face. "Wait don't put _that_ in your mouth. That one's mine!" Greg looked down at his own hands to see he was holding a green toothbrush. He shuddered, tossing the offending object away from him a little more violently than necessary and grabbing his own from the black cup on the counter. A bit of toothpaste and a couple drops of water later and he was running it across his lower teeth.

A small chuckle came from behind him and when he looked up, Nick was doing the same. Their eyes met in the mirror again and Greg was suddenly overcome with a wave of that funny feeling again. The one that there was something just out of reach of his understanding. Something about the picture he was seeing was significant and he just didn't get it. He frowned and brushed more harshly than before, as if he could scrub the feeling away. When he dared peek again, Nick was watching him too. He stood right behind the younger man and only slightly to the side, so in the mirror only his head and the tops of his shoulders were visible over Greg's shoulders. For some reason, the blonde had the sudden wandering thought that if Nick took but a single step closer he could quite comfortably wrap his arms around Greg.

Abruptly he started choking in surprise at that errant idea, wondering where the hell it had come from. Nick twitched in surprise and thumped him on the back a couple times in concern, his eyebrows knitting deeply together.

"Did you brush too far back?" the older man asked, but Greg just stared at him in the mirror. He didn't answer, only spat in the sink and used the cup to rinse his mouth out with water. He spat that out too and fled the room, knowing he would soon be followed by a man with questions of concern for his well-being. As he suspected, not two minutes later Nick came in to the living where he was huddled on the couch in his blanket.

"You sure your ok? That sounded like it hurt." Greg looked over at him as he sat down, immediately reaching for the other blanket and wrapping it about his own shoulders. Suddenly the blonde was confused, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at his closest friend, his face completely baffled. Nick leaned away a little, stunned by the expression and its unexpected onset.

"Are you cold?" Greg asked, ignoring the question he had been asked, just like he had before. Now it was Nick's turn to tilt his head, but he still looked just as baffled as he had before. Only now it was intensified.

"Um, no…why?" he replied after a few moments of opening and closing his mouth. Greg grunted and narrowed his eyes farther, his gaze slipping away to stare at the floor.

"Neither am I…" he murmured vaguely. Neither one of them were sure exactly what he meant by that, but Greg pulled the blanket tighter and firmly nestled himself back in to the corner of the couch. He was aware of the dark eyes on himself. It seemed he was always aware of when those eyes were on him, but that was another one of those things he couldn't think about without wondering what it was he wasn't getting. It was more frustrating than anything he'd ever been frustrated with before. More so than an annoyingly overbearing parent, or even an unsolvable case.

Nick continued to stare at him as he flicked the television on and hunkered down to pretend to watch something. He didn't bother to pay enough attention to actually register what it was he was watching. He was too busy trying to ignore Nick's eyes, Nick's blanket, Nick's toothbrush.

"Why do you have so much crap at my place?" Greg's eyes widened when he realized that the words had actually come out of his mouth, instead of staying in the silence of his own mind as he had originally intended them to. He winced when the words sounded harsher than they were supposed to. Really he only meant them to sound wondering and thoughtful, curious even. Instead they sounded disapproving and affronted. The older man stared back at him with hurt in his eyes, and for a long time neither said anything.

"I don't know…I didn't think you minded…I…should I go?" The Texan was out of his seat and taking a hesitant step toward the door by the time Greg realized what was happening. He leapt up, the blanket falling off his shoulders, and put out his hands to stop his friend's retreat.

"No! I didn't mean it like that I swear! I'm sorry I'm just-" he stopped to sigh and rub his hands over his eyes. "I've had some really weird stuff on my mind lately, it's throwing me off." He looked up to see Nick crossing his arms and sinking back down to his spot on the couch. His face was half amused and half concerned.

"I've noticed," was all he said. Then he reached over to where Greg had dropped the remote and picked it up, flipping through the channels to find something he approved of. For the next long while they sat together without saying anything. For the first time since their friendship had blossomed, so many years before, there was tension and awkwardness between them. It was a new feeling that neither of them really appreciated. Both wished to make it go away, but neither could think of a way. So instead they simply sat there and kept their eyes trained straight forward. It was two hours later when Nick was startled out of his uncomfortable thoughts by a loud gasp from Greg.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Nick blinked and looked over to find that Greg was no longing looking at the television. His body was half turned sideways as he stared at Nick with a shell-shocked expression on his face, jaw dropped, eyes wide, and everything. Something had obviously just come together in his head, and whatever it was he was thinking of was just as obviously unexpected – very much so. Nick waited for a few minutes, but received no explanation. He opened his mouth but just as he was about to ask what happened Greg threw back his head and burst in to laughter.

The older man closed his jaw with a small click and twisted his mouth. He had no idea what the hell was going on, but he knew that he'd have to wait for his friend to calm down before he found out. Trying to calm Greg down during a laughing fit was a useless endeavor on any given day. He waited patiently – or as patiently as he could in his already agitated state – tapping his toes on the floor as he fought not to yell at Greg to just shut up and give up the joke already, whatever it was. Finally, _finally_, Greg settled down in to quiet little giggles, holding a hand over his eyes and shaking his head at the thoughts going on inside it.

"No fucking way…" he mumbled in a mirth-filled voice. Nick snapped at that point, crossing his arms like a petulant child.

"_What_?" He demanded. "What the hell are you going on about?" Greg lowered the hand covering his eyes and looked over. Right away Nick could tell that there was something different. Something in the way he looked at Nick, a new emotion in those eyes that the Texan couldn't define. And yet somehow, he knew that he'd been subconsciously waiting for that look for a very long time now. Greg just smiled and leaned over to ruffle his short hair in a patronizing way.

"You'll get it too someday, I guess. At least, I hope you will." Then he stood and moseyed his way in to the kitchen area. Nick didn't hesitate to jump out of his own seat and follow him. He found Greg standing next to the coffee pot, chuckling as he fiddled with the two mugs sitting next to it. Nick had always gotten a strange warm feeling from seeing those two cups sitting side by side. It gave him a sort of reassurance that he was always welcome, anytime, that Greg would never turn him away. He'd always known that, but those cups seemed to confirm it somehow.

Greg turned to see that he had been followed, but made no move to explain himself as he walked over to the fridge; opening it and rummaging around to find himself something cool to drink. After a moment or so he stood up with a half full jug of orange juice in his hand, looking at it with a contemplative expression. Something about it seemed to make a decision in his mind because he closed the fridge and pulled down a glass for himself. Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Greg…what are you doing?" he asked in a confused voice. Greg cast him a fleeting look before returning to filling his cup.

"I'm getting a drink, what does it look like I'm doing?" he replied in a playful tone. Nick didn't even roll his eyes. He was still trying to figure out what it was that Greg had been laughing about, something he would supposedly get on his own someday. However that was supposed to work.

"But you don't like orange juice," he protested after a few seconds of silence. Greg took a sip and blinked at the older man over the rim of his cup, not even scrunching up his face in the dislike Nick knew he had for that particular beverage.

"Hm, but you do," was his reply. Then he put the jug of juice back in the fridge and he walked away, leaving Nick with the distinct impression that he should be making something more of those words. Something very significant had just happened, but he conceded that it had gone right over his head. The Texan's eyes narrowed and his mouth hardened in to a determined line. He was going to figure this out. Some day.


	3. Just Found Myself, And You

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!

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Nick peeked his head around the corner, making sure that Greg didn't see him. The blonde was absorbed in typing something on his computer, something he'd been working on for the past hour or more. Nick had tried to lure him away with all sorts of things – television, card games, shooting hoops in the park down the street – but so far nothing had worked. He was getting pretty bored, so he'd eventually resorted to falling back on his new favorite activity. Greg watching. It was kind of like bird watching, only it was near impossible to frighten away a Greg, and his new subject was very much more interesting.

Greg watching was a fun sport, but sometimes hard because there was a high chance of getting caught watching. And that just ruined the whole game when that happened. So Nick had started seeking out those rare moments when Greg was still and distracted so that he could sit and just _look_. He knew he was looking for something specific and, though he found it every time, he still had yet to figure out what it was. That line of thought never made much sense to him, but it was true. The look that had grown in Greg's eyes never wavered now; it was there every time he looked at Nick. And yet the Texan still had no idea what it was. It was warm and amused and fond and almost crazy. For some reason it reminded Nick of star gazing and fighting over the remote and a million stupid conversations about nothing while they both sat huddled in their blankets.

Except Greg never wore a blanket anymore. It had been a tradition for so many years that it was automatic for Nick now. As soon as he sat down on the couch the blanket seemed to appear on his shoulders as if from nowhere. But lately, Greg had taken to leaving his on the back of the seat. Nick never asked, the words always stuck up in his throat because asking why Greg _wasn't_ wearing his would instigate the question of why Nick _was_. So he kept silent, just watched and wondered.

And it all fell in to place at the most random of moments. Greg watching was all well and good, but when Nick heard the click to signal that the coffee was done brewing his attention was easily diverted. His watch subject didn't look like he was going anywhere anytime soon, so he shrugged and strolled away, in to the kitchen. He was just reaching out to grab a hold of his designated cup when he stopped, staring at them. Two cups. Always ready in an apartment that only one man lived in. Only, it didn't seem that way. Nick had all but moved in a long time ago, his clothes and belongings accumulating over the years until he only went home if it was absolutely necessary. He slept more soundly on Greg's couch than he did in his own bed.

Two coffee cups, one of which make the gravely sound of ceramic against granite as he twisted it back and forth on the counter top. He chanced a glance inside and was greeted with a single spoonful, just how he liked it. He frowned as he tried to remember a time when he didn't have a spoon of sugar waiting for him in this very cup. The edge was chipped from the time he'd gotten drunk and tried to toss it in the sink from across the room, only barely making it. The color of the pattern was a little duller than it used to be. But he felt as if, should he lose this cup, he'd never feel right again.

Like Greg. It struck him like lightening, and his brain was left shorted out and frazzled. And of course that was the moment that Greg chose to wander in, obviously having heard the coffee pot's signal as well. When Nick looked up, his fingers still loosely grazing the rim of his cup, Greg stopped in his tracks at the look of shock he received. And there was that look, the warm one that Nick could finally translate. It was love, plain and simple, waiting there for him this whole time. They were in love. How could they not have know? How could _he_ not have known? Without thinking about it, Nick dropping his fingers away from the mug and instead reached out, fisting them in Greg's loose red t-shirt. He tugged hard, sending Greg stumbling forward, and their lips crashed together with a great deal of force.

Right away they both moaned, and Nick slid his hands up to cup Greg's face, tilting them both for a deeper kiss. Greg's arms slid around to surround his waist, sliding fingers in to his belt loops and pulling their hips together tightly. Their chests pressed together and the crushing of hard muscle against hard muscle was absolutely delicious. When they pulled apart their faces stayed barely a half inch apart as they gasped in air.

"God, _finally_!" Greg exclaimed, surging forward to lay claim to Nick's mouth once more. Nick raised his eyebrows above his closed eyes, but he was only a little bit surprised. He'd known that Greg had figured this out before him. How hard it must have been to wait! A moment later all thoughts were wiped from his brain as he felt himself being pushed backwards and Greg was pinning him against the counter. The blonde braced a hand on either side of the older man and used the leverage to grind their crotches together, making Nick's head fall back. Greg attacked the expanse of tanned neck exposed to him with fervor, nipping licking and sucking like he'd been denied this much too long. Which he had.

"Can't wait," he gasped in to Nick's ear suddenly. "Been months, need you now. Bedroom." Nick's eyes flew wide open and met Greg's predatory gaze. All he could do was nod and follow as he was led down the hall to the one place in the apartment that he never set foot in. He'd tiptoed around it subconsciously for years like the forbidden area that, should he enter, would reveal their well-kept secret before he was ready to know it. But now he was all too glad to burst through the door and fall on the bed in a tangle of grasping hands and desperate kisses.

Greg slid his hands up inside Nick's shirt, running his fingertips over the abs he'd seen so many times before and longed to feel for months now. The muscles tightened under his touch and he shivered as a hand tightened on his hip, drawing it up to meet Nick's. Impatiently they tore their shirts off, reaching for each other's jeans without preamble. Nick chuckled as his caught on one of his ankles. With an irritated growl Greg ripped hard, tearing the material in his haste to get it off. Nick raised an eyebrow as his body fell back on top of Greg's.

"I liked those," he breathed, not able to muster any more volume than that. He was too caught up in the way Greg was arching up in to him.

"I'll buy you a new pair. God Nick, please…" Greg whined low in his throat and Nick nodded, shucking them both of their underwear and thrusting forward. Their erections didn't so much brush together as they did crash and slid and grind and they both groaned loudly at the harsh contact. Greg reached out, half blinded by a haze of pleasure, and felt around in his side table, coming back with a bottle of lube. Before his hand was even all the way back to the bed Nick had torn the bottle from his hand and flipped the cap off. He dribbled a generous amount on to his fingertips and reached down, spreading Greg's knees gently. The blonde whimpered as the first finger pressed inside him, squeezing his eyes tight and pushing back against the welcome intrusion.

Nick wasted no time in adding a second finger, then a third, curling them and stretching Greg as he pumped them in and out of the younger man's body. Greg writhed and gasped, his hands convulsively gripping Nick's shoulders over and over. Then at long last Nick pulled his fingers away and pushed Greg's knees up, placing himself at his entrance. Their eyes met and they paused in brief wonderment, but the moment had barely begun before it was over, desperation and years of waiting pushing Nick's hips forward until he had buried himself completely within Greg, crying out at the perfection of it.

Greg's heels dug in to Nick's lower back as they settled in to a rhythm that left them both gasping for breath. It wasn't very long before they were both covered in sweat, hair sticking to their foreheads and hands slipping as they tried to grip muscles. Nick pushed himself up on to his knees, gripping Greg's thighs to keep his balance, and thrust with all the power he could muster. The way Greg let out an involuntary shout, raising his hands above his head to hang on to the headboard with steel grips, almost sent the Texan over the edge in to oblivion. He managed to hang on a little longer, angling himself in search of that special sweet spot. He knew found it when Greg's shouting grew exponentially louder.

When his whole being began to tremble and he knew he was too close to hold back Nick dropped his body down over Greg's. He slid one arm under the younger man's arched back and cupped his face with the other, pressing their foreheads together so that their eyes met. Then he fell off the precipice and his eyes widened as he made a choked grunting noise. He'd never been much for making noise in bed, always self-conscious, but now he had to fight to keep it inside. He bit his lip, and on that somehow prearranged signal, Greg followed him in to the abyss. He had no such problems with making noise, apparently, as he cried Nick's name so loud it might have woken the neighbors were it not the middle of the day.

As Nick pulled out and collapsed heavily to the sheets, he used the arm still hooked underneath Greg to pull the blonde in to his chest. Greg immediately snuggled up to him, then they both lay still as they fought to regain control of their breathing. After a long while, when he felt that he could move again, Nick reached up on of his hands to card through Greg's hair, leaving the other wrapped about his trim waist.

"So what tipped you off?" Greg's voice floated up to Nick's ears, muffled by the shoulder his face was pressed in to. The Texan smiled up at the ceiling fan that lazily turned circles above them.

"That goddamn coffee cup…" he murmured. Greg's chuckle made both their bodies shake lightly and the sound reverberated against his skin where it made contact with Greg's lips. The blonde began pressing light kisses against his neck, and he tried to tell himself to concentrate, or he'd never remember to ask what he wanted to ask. He barely managed to get the words out; so distracting was the feel of Greg's soft lips. "What about you?" he'd meant to add more to the sentence, but that was all he could manage right then. The kisses stopped and he moaned.

"Your toothbrush, actually," Greg admitted. Nick craned and twisted his neck until he was able to look down at Greg, raising one of his eyebrows in incredulity. Greg looked back up at him sheepishly. Then suddenly, all they could both do was laugh. Greg reached down to grasp the thin sheet that they had kicked down to the end of the bed. The comforter was nowhere to be seen, and he suspected that it had fallen off the end, probably lying on the floor just out of his sight. He didn't mind really, on a day this hot they didn't need any blankets.

As he tucked the sheet around their midsections, Nick tightened his arms, pulling Greg closer in, and he smiled as he squirmed around until he was half lying face down on top of his older friend.

"It's been a long time coming," he said quietly. "So here's to hoping that we'll be a long time in lasting too." Nick felt unexpected tears gathering in his eyes as he leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to Greg's mouth, letting their lips dance together in a rhythm as old as mankind itself, yet one that was completely unique to them.

It was a week later when Sara came to visit Greg and found Nick home alone instead, sorting through a pile of boxes. When she looked over to the couch she found that their two small blankets had been replaced by one big one. And she smiled, glad that they had figured it out.


End file.
